Today, devices must be switched on in order that they can be interacted with. For example, in order to stream content around the home from a home media server or Network-attached storage (NAS) device, that device must be left powered on all of the time, even when it is not being used. Equally, wireless routers, broadband modems and other devices are often left on, even though their functions are not constantly in use.
There is an increasing focus on energy efficiency and awareness of consumption which is driving consumer interest. Consumer electronics companies are making much of the ability to wirelessly access and interact with devices throughout homes and offices. The major drawback is that all devices must be switched on permanently in order that they can be used—wireless printing, wireless streaming of media, transferring content between media servers and PCs, accessing the Internet through a broadband router are all examples.
There are many prior solutions in the area of Home Automation (such as X10 and Insteon for example) that allow devices to be remotely switched on and off. These are all based on the provision of inserting a new device between the device to be controlled and the mains power outlet, and operate at the level of switching on and off the mains electricity supply. None of them are integrated into the device to be controlled and none of them allow communications with the device to be controlled. Since they work at the electricity supply level, they do not allow devices to be placed into low-power modes or woken from low-power modes and do not allow the power state of a device to be retrieved.
Other solutions such as Wake-On-Lan (WoLAN) function only for devices connected to a wired Ethernet network and require that the host device is connected to a mains power outlet. Wake-on-Wireless-Lan (WoWLAN) removes Wake-On-Lan's need for a wired network, but uses a standard wireless networking, which consumes a considerable amount of power, which makes it impractical for mobile devices. Both WoLAN and WoWLAN only permit devices to be woken from a low-power state and do not allow the state of a device to be queried, or for the device to be placed back into a lower-power state.
The ECMA (European Computer Manufacturers Association) has an activity: “Proxying Support for Sleep Modes” (TC32-TG21). Their proposal is based around a new device (a proxy) that specifically handles network traffic for ethernet-connected PCs that are in a low-power, sleep mode and wakes them if needed, based on the contents of network data.
Prior solutions in this space have typically been provided as new hardware which sits between the mains electricity supply and the device to be controlled. As a result, the cost of these devices has been relatively high, which is one of the main reasons that these solutions have not achieved any significant adoption.